Defence Ministry: Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey expand Black Sea mine countermeasure missions
Romanian Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu announced on Wednesday that, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara, he had signed the Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey on the establishment of the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group (MCM Black Sea TG), extending its mandate to include the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) and sent to AGERPRES, the signing of the document during the NATO Summit underscored the shared commitment of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey to strengthening security in the Black Sea and enhancing Allied maritime cooperation.
'Protecting critical infrastructure in the Black Sea requires a comprehensive, integrated and long-term approach, and the MCM Black Sea TG demonstrates the interoperability of regional partners while serving as an initiative that actively contributes to strengthening security in the Black Sea basin. Through missions carried out by the Romanian Naval Forces together with regional partners, a permanent naval presence is maintained within the area of responsibility, including throughout Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone, not only as a deterrent measure but also as an instrument for an immediate response,' the press release said.
According to the ministry, the Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group was signed on January 11, 2024 by the defence ministers of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, creating the first trilateral initiative of its kind involving the three NATO Allies bordering the Black Sea.
The MCM Black Sea TG's primary mission is to ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea through surveillance missions, operations to neutralise potential hazards to maritime traffic, and related search-and-rescue activities at sea, the ministry said. Since the task group's operational launch on July 1, 2024, it has conducted ten activations.
Command of the task group rotates every six months. Romania held command from July 9, 2025 to January 8, 2026. It is currently under Turkish command, which will be handed over to Bulgaria on Thursday, July 9.
The Romanian minehunter M 271 'Captain Constantin Dumitrescu' will participate in the task group's 11th activation from July 9 to 24. Its main mission will be to monitor the assigned maritime area of responsibility and ensure freedom of navigation in the maritime areas where training activities will take place as part of the multinational exercise BREEZE 2026, the ministry added. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mihai Stoica; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)
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